When discussing “Saturday Night Live,” many people mention the cast, musical guests or someone that has hosted the show, but the unsung heroes of “Saturday Night Live” are the members of the crew.
After the show’s most recent episode, a video was released of the crew taking down the set from the cold open and preparing the state for the monologue. The crew has less that two minutes to prepare everything and they were working right to the last minute to fix every detail, including the placement of the flowers.
This clip shows the amount of work put into one part of the show, and how fast everything moves on live TV.
Over the years, “Saturday Night Live” has featured many elaborate sets, and lots of quick changes. The fast thinking and working of the crew helps the show continue to be successful.
A few weeks prior to this video being released, “Saturday Night Live” released another video about the work that members of the hair and makeup department have to do on a weekly basis. The video discusses the wig making process, and what it takes to create makeup for individuals who are impersonating other celebrities and political figures. According to Jodi Mancuso, who is the head of the hair department, it takes 50 hours to make the wigs. Each wig is customized and measured to match the head of the actor.
Louie Zakarian, who has been the head of the show’s makeup department for the past 20 years, makes sure the makeup is accurate for the character that is being played, and that it is easy to adjust for the quick changes that the actors have to go through before each sketch.
In an interview with Mashable before the 40th Anniversary special for “Saturday Night Live” in 2015, Zakarian mentioned how even though the quick changes and fast pacing of the show can leaves little time for the makeup department to do their work, they are making sure their best work gets on the stage.
"And there's no, 'I can't do it,'" Zakarian said, "It's just, 'We'll do our best.'"
Other members of the “Saturday Night Live” team that contribute their best work to the show, includes the live band that plays the introduction music before the monologue and the closing music during the host’s goodbyes. The band is currently being directed by Lenny Pickett, who was a long time saxophonist for the show.
One notable element of “Saturday Night Live,” is the show’s use of cue cards rather than a teleprompter. Wally Feresten has been the cue card holder on “Saturday Night Live” for the past 25 years, and has not dropped a single cue card throughout his time on the show. He also runs the cue cards for “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”
Throughout the history of “Saturday Night Live,” many famous people got their careers going as writers for the show. These individuals include Conan O’Brien, Bob Odenkirk, Tina Fey, Sarah Silverman and Senator Al Franken.
“Saturday Night Live” is a show that has been a part of television for over forty years, and will continue to provide great opportunities for talented on-screen performers and creative individuals who shine the brightest on the other side of the spotlight.
